Miniature ‘dig’ site among library offerings for kids

More than 1,500 young people are participating in librarian-led summer programs and activities at the Carson City Library and Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada.

According to a news release:

“We’re in week six of our eight-week Summer Reading Program collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada,” said Steve Baglin, youth services librarian. “Each week, a different group of kids has the chance to engage in a combination of literacy-building, teamwork, problem-solving, and technology through our ‘Dig Into Reading’-themed technology class.”

Children work together to plan, film and edit short videos using an iPad and an iMovie application, he said.

The main subject of the weekly movies is archeological digs done via a pint-sized T-rex model buried and uncovered each week in the club’s garden plot, temporarily converted to a “dig” site.

Archeology

Opening a lecture last week with Indiana Jones-themed music, Jim Bunch and Patti DeBunch of Eetza Research Associates spoke to about 30 children and brought samples of their collection.

“I was surprised to have these scientists at the club,” said Giovani, 10. “I usually go to Mexico every summer and visit museums there,” he said of the artifacts from DeBunch’s native country.

Breaking Free

The library opened Breaking Free, an exhibition by artist Julianne Perkins, on July 11. It displays 25 of Perkins’ abstract works in oils and acrylics and is featured in the library auditorium through Aug. 15. Perkins, a Carson High School graduate, is offering three artist clinics for community teens.

Video journalism

Five teams of teen video journalists are in production with stories conceived during a two-hour workshop last week with C-SPAN video journalist and community relations representative Justine Jablonska. More than 15 teens attended a morning news conference hosted by Mayor Bob Crowell about C-SPAN coming to Carson City.

The youths story-boarded ideas considered newsworthy during a subsequent workshop. They now are working twice a week in two-hour segments at both the club and the library to develop five- to seven-minute videos that will be shared through a number of distribution channels in August.

To view a list of technology classes and equipment in the Carson City Library’s @Two Digital Learning Center, go to www.carsoncitylibrary.org or call 775-887-2244 to speak with a technology librarian.